In a small village in Uganda, Esperance, a 33 year old mother of three opens her eyes after 20 minutes of Transcendental Meditation, and smiles. “I’ve been doing this for 3 years - meditating every day. After one week I felt relief. I have healed so much. And, I am happy. I can now actually be a mother to my children.”

Esperance is one of thousands of people in Africa finding relief from the crippling symptoms of PTSD - post traumatic stress disorder - through the practice of TM. The practice produces a deep state of healing rest in mind and body. It’s done for 20 minutes twice a day.Esperance’s story is terrifying, and tragically common in many parts of Africa where an estimated 100 million people suffer from PTSD. “This is why I was inspired to form an organization that supports teaching this stress reducing meditation to PTSD victims. It’s called PTSD Relief Now,” says David Shapiro, President of PTSD Relief Now.

PTSD - A Global Pandemic

But post traumatic stress disorder, (PTSD), isn’t just an African problem. Shapiro describes the hellish world of PTSD and its worldwide extent: ”It’s a global mental health pandemic. Symptoms include hyper-vigilance, repeated painful memories of the events, insomnia,and depression. The effects of PTSD are crushing on any life, soldier, parent, child, refugee. It is an extraordinary level of suffering for which we have a solution, now.”PTSD affects soldiers and civilians. It is caused by trauma, including war, violence, sexual abuse, terrorism and natural disasters - events so stressful that the condition develops. In Africa where large parts of the population have been through and witnessed horrendous violence, torture and rape, PTSD is common.” explains Shapiro. It is estimated that 10% of all Africans suffer from PTSD.This means that up to 100 million Africans lives are shattered.

Africa is underserved by mental health programs. The US-based organization “PTSD Relief Now” is an Iowa-based non-profit corporation (www.PTSDReliefNow.org) collaborating with the David Lynch Foundation (www.davidlynchfoundation.org/africal) . African PTSD Relief is the set of African projects of PTSD Relief Now.

Research Shows Meditation Brings PTSD ReliefA study in 2013 published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress showed that over 90% of a group of Congolese refugees with high level of PTSD symptoms became "non-symptomatic” within 30 days of regular practice of TM. The non-meditating control group’s symptoms, remained the same.

A second study published in 2014 showed that within 10 days of learning TM refugees with severe PTSD symptoms, showed significant reductions. “The transformation in these refugees is heart warming.” says David Shapiro, President.

African PTSD Relief is a project of PTSD Relief Now, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable corporation. African PTSD Relief collaborates with the David Lynch Foundation (DLF), a 501(c)(3). DLF directs all donations restricted to African PTSD Relief to PTSD Relief Now projects in and for Africa.